Long-eared Owl
Long-eared Owl has declined: down 46% on the route-weighted index since 1972.
About the Long-eared Owl
The Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) is a North American member of the Owls (Strigidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the birds of prey.
- Size
- 5–27.5 in long (13–70 cm) — a nocturnal raptor (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Open country, woodlands, cliffs and wetlands, hunting from the air or a high perch.
- Diet
- Live prey — small mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and large insects (carrion for vultures).
- Range
- Recorded on 64 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 20 states, most concentrated in the Great Basin.
- Family
- Strigidae · Birds of prey
Notable Long-eared Owl Trends
No notable trend signals for Long-eared Owl. See the full index history below.
Long-eared Owl Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Long-eared Owl is projected to stay roughly flat through 2026, near 0.00 (95% range 0.00–0.00). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±80.9%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2023 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2024 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2025 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2026 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Where the Long-eared Owl Is Detected
BBS routes recording Long-eared Owl, sized by most recent count.
Long-eared Owl Population Trend by State
| Arizona | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| California | insufficient data | n/a | 7 |
| Colorado | insufficient data | n/a | 7 |
| Idaho | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Kansas | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Minnesota | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Montana | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Nevada | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| New Hampshire | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| New Jersey | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| New Mexico | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| New York | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| North Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Oregon | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Pennsylvania | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Utah | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Vermont | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Washington | insufficient data | n/a | 5 |
| Wisconsin | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
| Wyoming | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
Long-eared Owl Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Great Basin | -84% | 1980 | 13 |
Long-eared Owl Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 46% since 1972.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.